Hindu Marriage Amendment Bill passed

Treasury, opp members unite on tax exemptions for Malakand, MDs

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday approved the Hindu Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2026 while government and opposition members joined hands to demand continued tax exemptions for the people of Malakand and the newly merged tribal districts.

Provincial Minister for Local Government Mina Khan Afridi presented the Hindu Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2026 in the House, which was promptly passed. Under the new legislation, the power to appoint registrars for Hindu marriages has been delegated to district governments. In union councils with Hindu populations, the local government will issue licenses to the registrars.

Separately, the provincial government has prepared the Excise Duty on Minerals (Amendment) Bill 2026 aimed at improving the welfare of mine workers. The bill, which could not be tabled in the assembly, proposes the reconstitution of the Mines Labour Welfare Board. The reconstituted board will include representatives from the departments of Finance, Health, Labour, Education, Zakat, Social Welfare, and Communication & Works. The Secretary of Minerals will serve as Chairman, while the Chief Commissioner of Mines Labour Welfare will act as Vice Chairman. Four representatives each from mine owners and mine workers will also be included.

The amendment seeks to make the institutional framework for the welfare and wellbeing of mine workers more effective and robust.

In a rare show of unity, lawmakers from both the treasury and opposition benches strongly opposed the imposition of taxes in Malakand and the tribal districts, demanding exemptions for the region's residents regardless of whether the taxes fall under provincial or federal jurisdiction.

Speaker of the Provincial Assembly Babar Salim Swati indicated that a debate would be held in the House on the issue and hinted at convening a joint meeting of government and opposition parliamentary leaders to formulate a future course of action.

Opposition members and some government lawmakers expressed strong resentment over the federal government's move to withdraw tax exemptions previously granted to the former FATA and PATA regions.

Provincial Minister Dr Amjad said the tax was not imposed during the PTI era in Malakand and criticised the opposition for distorting facts. He noted that only a hotel tax had been levied on an establishment owned by someone outside Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and that the federal government was behind the move. He accused the PML-N of "drama" and reminded the House of past promises made by former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and PTI founder Imran Khan that taxes would not be imposed in Malakand.